Hurricane Isaac Floods New Orleans And Coastal Cities

NEW ORLEANS – Hurricane Isaac continued to pound Louisiana with heavy rains and damaging winds Wednesday as forecasters said the biggest threat is storm-surge flooding from central Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle.

Isaac was still maintaining Category 1 hurricane strength, but just barely, with sustained winds of 75 mph, the National Hurricane Center reported. It was located directly over Houma, La., which is about 45 miles southwest of New Orleans.

The storm was crawling to the northwest at just 6 mph. It is expected to weaken to a tropical storm later Wednesday.

One of the worst hit areas was Plaquemines Parish, about 50 miles southeast of New Orleans, where water spilled over a levee. One of the highest storm-surge levels recorded so far was the 12-foot surge there late Tuesday that also flooded area homes.